PHOENIX — Sick calls among TSA officers were at record levels this weekend, creating back-ups and backlogs at airports across the country, prompting the Trump Administration to add ICE agents to more than a dozen airports, including Phoenix Sky Harbor.
"I'm usually the just-in-time person," explained Linda Little from Scottsdale, who was headed to Los Angeles Tuesday morning.
But Linda wasn't so last-minute this time; she didn't want to take any chances with TSA lines being so unpredictable this past week.
Her advice to fellow travelers? Come early.
"I'd probably just plan for a little bit of extra time," Linda explained. "The lines are getting longer. We don't know what to expect at this point."
ABC15 has seen lines stretch halfway through Terminal 4 during the morning rush, but other times it's been fairly quiet. One thing that has remained constant this week is the addition of ICE agents.
"This will help bolster TSA efforts to keep our skies safe and to minimize air travel disruptions," a spokesperson for ICE said in a statement.
TSA officers are about to miss another paycheck and sick calls have reached record levels. Travelers like Linda say something needs to be done.
"I'm glad they're here," explained Linda regarding the ICE agents. "We need extra security right now and it's unfortunate that the TSA employees are not being paid right now. It's wrong."
Other travelers, like Mariano Perez from Buckeye, say they have concerns.
"If they're here for the right reasons, then by all means," he explains. "But it is a scary situation, especially with a lot going on in the world, especially with ICE agents."
Mariano went on to explain that he has concerns about potentially being racially profiled.
"I am Hispanic," Mariano said. "It feels scary in itself because I could be identified wrongfully without even being asked and who knows where that could go?"
ABC15 reached out to ICE officials on Tuesday to clarify which airports agents were assisting, what their duties were, and how long they may be there. ICE did not answer those questions, citing security concerns for not identifying which airports agents were at.
Full Statement from Immigration and Customs Enforcement
“This pointless, reckless shutdown of our homeland security workforce has caused more than 400 TSA officers to quit and thousands to call out from work because they are not able to afford gas, childcare, food, or rent. While the Democrats continue to put the safety, dependability, and ease of our air travel at risk, President Trump is taking action to deploy hundreds of ICE officers, that are currently funded by Congress, to airports being adversely impacted. This will help bolster TSA efforts to keep our skies safe and minimize air travel disruptions."
ICE reports TSA saw its highest call-out rate on Sunday, March 22, since the shutdown began on February 14.
That day, ICE says at least 3,450 TSA officers called out sick, which is about 11.8% of the workforce.
They went on to list several airports with high levels of sick calls, including Phoenix Sky Harbor:
- PHX 20.3%
- BWI 38.1%
- JFK 37.4%
- PIT 24.7%
- PHL 24.2%
- LGA 21.7%
- IAH 39.1%
- MSY 42.3%
- ATL 41.5%”
